Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most
by The Dark Duran
Summary: They say that uneasy hearts weigh the most. Mai Tokiha doesn't understand, but when she meets Natsuki Kuga, a rebellious musician expelled from her last school, she might just figure out what it means to have an uneasy heart. AU, MaiNat.
1. Idiot!

_A/N: Hello, everyone, Dark Duran here. So I began this story, as a means to work on between intervals whenever I need a break from working on 'A Perfect Circle'. This, unlike my other story, is MUCH easier to write, so I'm guessing the chapters will tend to be longer. Keep in mind this will probably be updated at a slower pace. Also, this actually isn't angst as you probably noticed, nor is it written based on descriptive dialogue, meaning I'm completely out of my element here. But either way, I hope you enjoy 'Uneasy Hearts Weight the Most'._

**_Some Things to Touch Upon: _**This story holds some suggestive material such as language, alcohol, drugs, sexual themes and crude humor. Also, any characters associated with _My-HiME _belong to Sunrise Inc.

**Also, **none of the lyrics or song names used in this story belong to me, UNLESS I say so in this header. They will belong to their respective creators.

Anyways, please read, and please enjoy.

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><p><strong>Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most<strong>

**Chapter 1: Idiot!  
><strong>

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><p>Dust bellowed up along the road. The sun glistened in a fiery red over an enormous wheat field that moved in unison with the wind. The rays of the setting sun glowed in particular, along a set of auburn locks pushed up against a car window. It was a beautiful sight, the way the colors blended so perfectly. Especially because it made the violet eyes under that fiery hair stand out so much.<p>

"I heard your voice through a photograph," A girl with chestnut colored hair sang out of tune.

"I thought it up and brought up the paaast," Another girl with more vibrant red hair chimed in, loudly.

"Once you know, you can never go back-"

"**I gotta take it on the other siiiide!" **They both sang together at the top of their lungs, chestnut hair swerving the car all over the road, while bright red hair pumped their fist out the window.

"Gah, shut the hell up, the both of you!" The redhead shouted from the backseat, kicking the back of the driver's seat with a force something fierce. "You've sang the same freaking song 4 times in a row!"

"Oi, calm yourself, juggernaut jugs." The second redhead, Nao, deadpanned, turning her body around in the seat to face the girl in the back with a smirk. "If we listen to the same song over and over, it'll make all of the music at the concert way better."

"No, no it won't. Now _please _change the song before I throw myself out the window." The busty girl crossed her arms over her chest, her cheeks also lightly pink from the ridiculous nickname her friend gave her.

"You should be thankful, Mai." Aoi, the driver, responded, looking into the rearview mirror into Mai's violet eyes. "Listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers on repeat while on your way to an _amazing _concert is probably a lot better than being stuck at home."

Mai continued to frown for a minute, before sighing and allowing herself to lean back into the grey leather interior of the seat. She looked out the window, eyes lightly squinting from the bright red sun. "Yeah, you have a point. Still, I'm sure Akane is going just as crazy as me. Right Akane?"

A more slender girl with shorter, and lighter brown hair was looking out the window. Startled at the mention of her name, she whirled her head around. "Ah-uhm, w-well, I don't mind, really. At least it's a good song."

"Ugh…" Mai groaned loudly, slumping forcefully into the leather seat. "You never take my side, traitor." She mumbled, turning her head away like a pouting child.

"Uhm…sorry…" Akane grumbled, feeling a bit awkward having been stuck into the situation.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Kan-chan." Nao sat right in her seat, waving her hand dismissively. "She's just being bitter 'cause her favorite band won't be at the show tonight."

"AM NOT!" Mai leapt up, hands on the roof of the car as she leaned over and glared at Nao from the back.

"Sit down, moron!" Aoi swerved a bit, taken by surprise at Mai's antics. "If I have to brake for any reason, I don't feel like pulling pieces of you out of my windshield."

Mai, after a moment, sighed loudly and again, forcefully plopped into the backseat, now crossing her legs. "Traitors."

"Right.." Aoi yawned. Then her eyes lit up a bit, a smile forming on her face. "We're just about there, actually. I just wanna get right out of the car and make a beeline for the booth before there's a huge line. You guys all set?"

There were responses that implied the entire car was ready, and with that, Aoi slowed the vehicle and drove onto a gravel path off the side of the street they had been on. It lead them onto a winding road that was surrounded by a thicket, with several other vehicles making their way through. They winded back and forth a couple of times along the road, before the sunlight came through at the end, and they drove out into the evening sun. There was a lot of open space surrounded by trees, one gate that led to the side where people paid for parking, and another that asked for tickets or for people to pass in the tickets that they pre-ordered. And while Mai was tired from the long drive, _and practically wanting to shoot herself because she never wanted to hear Otherside again, _she was happy that it was a nice, clear evening. She could feel that tonight was going to be really fun. Or at least, interesting.

"Bah, I can't believe they make you pay for parking _and _a ticket. What a bunch a' rip-off artists." Nao scowled as she crossed her arms, her head leaning against the window as her eyes wandered over the crowds of people making their way through the gates.

"It's not even that big a deal." Aoi said calmly. "We're all pitching in for parking, which isn't too expensive to begin with, and we all bought our tickets online anyway."

Oh.

_Oh crap._

"…Oh. Shit…" Mai, who had been sitting quietly in the backseat, suddenly jumped up, and her pretty eyes were wide in horror. "I didn't buy a ticket."

The car came to a screeching halt, everyone messily sliding toward the front of the car and then violently slamming back down.

"The hell, Aoi!" Everyone, except Aoi, yelled in unison.

"YOU FORGOT YOUR WHAT?" The now enraged brunette whipped around, fingers digging into her seat as she turned around to give Mai a godawful glare.

"I-I forgot to buy one online! Eh…" Mai felt herself shrinking under the heated gaze of Aoi, wishing the back of her seat would just melt and make her disappear into it. How the hell could she have forgotten possibly _the most_ vital variable of this trip in the first place?

"We've been driving here for 2 hours and you just _now _decided to mention that?" Aoi was nearly tearing the leather interior with just the force of her fingers, before she sighed loudly, turned around and slumped in her seat. "Alright-alright-alright, just…just-everyone give up their share for parking and we'll figure something out after." She had one hand with the palm up for taking money, the other pinching her nose irately.

"Damn Mai, usually you're the responsible one. How the tables have turned." Nao smirked, as she opened up her wallet, took out a 5 dollar bill and smacked it into Aoi's hand. Akane reached over and placed her share a bit more gently into Aoi's hand as well, still kind of quivering from the brunette's previous outburst.

"Gah, shut it, Nao." She grumbled, also placing her share into Aoi's open hand. "I'll just…go to the booth and buy one, that's all!" She smiled triumphantly, nodding her head. Yeah, that's all she has to do. It's a perfect plan, right? Nothing can go wrong, right?

"In _that_ line?" Nao questioned with amused green eyes looking over at the crowded line that stretched from the gates, almost to where the entrance for the cars were. Which was almost the entire length of the parking lot.

Mai saw this, her face visibly paling. She groaned loudly. "Well, it's not like I have much of a choice at this rate."

"You could probably flash someone and they'd give you like, three tickets." Nao burst out into mirthful laughter, which was _very _quickly ended with a harsh _**thwak **_against the side of her head.

"Nao, shut up, time to get out of the car." Aoi deadpanned; she had already parked in a space that could be described as the middle of the parking area.

"Ow, what the shit was that for? I expected that from Mai!" She yelled, green eyes glaring at Aoi, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Felt like it. Now hurry up and get out!" With that, the brunette practically jumped from her seat and out of the door, slamming it behind her. There was a giggle in the backseat, and Mai managed to slide out of the car just in time to escape Nao's death glare and fist. Akane had already been standing outside, using her phone to text rapidly with a rather ridiculous smile on her face.

"And what are you so happy about?" Aoi questioned with a raised eyebrow, walking over to Akane and awaiting the other two.

The lighter chestnut-haired teen gazed up with a wide smile. "Kazu is going to drive up here in a few hours, when the show's done, so he can come to the after party with us."

Seeing just how excited the other girl was, Aoi smiled and rolled her eyes. "Jeez, I might go blind from how bright you are right now." She put her hand over her eyes to pretend blocking light.

Akane only chuckled lightly, and both she and Aoi turned when Nao and Mai walked up next to them. The more busty redhead sighed, straightening out her short, black skirt. It was only spring, which meant the nights weren't exactly the perfect temperature, so she also sported a dark blue hoodie with a thick, white stripe on one side, and a gray v-neck t-shirt underneath. She also had on white low-top Converse.

"Okay," she breathed. "I'll just go up, buy my ticket, and I'll be all set. Don't worry about it guys." Mai smiled reassuringly, almost a little _too _sure of herself.

Aoi, who had been wearing a brown coat with a pseudo-fur collar, tight bleached jeans and a halter top, quirked her brow and then shrugged as she turned towards the side-gate that led to the entrance booths. "Whatever you say, Mai. Let's just hurry this up before we miss any of the good lineups."

Nao appeared the most badass of the group, in skin-tight jeans that had tears all down the legs, red Nike sneakers with yellow laces, a torn up yellow band-tee with "_We Came as Romans" _along the front in thick blue letters, and a black hoodie with buckles over the biceps. _Grade A badassery right here, _she thought, a smirk appearing on her face as she followed along with the gang.

Akane had returned her attention to her phone again, barely paying attention and hardly keeping up with the others as she dove right into the sappy text conversation between her and her boyfriend back home. She wore a red hooded sweatshirt with the hood over her head, a pair of dark capris, and a pair of green sneakers.

Eventually, they were all standing with each other in line, which was still as horrifying long as before. The distress on all of their faces was evident, but Nao looked more ticked than anything.

"I sweat to christ if _We Came as Romans _goes on before we're done, I'm buying an ice water _just _for the purpose of dumping it down your shirt." The vibrant redhead's arms were crossed, and her weight rested on one hip.

"Calm down, jeez. Why don't you guys just go on in, and check out the times for each lineup while you wait for me? This will probably go by fast anyways." Mai's brow furrowed in annoyance, and figured letting Nao go in was the best probable way of getting her to shut up.

"Are you sure, Mai? I can wait with you." Akane smiled, having only looked down from her phone for a _mere _second. Then a beep sounded, and she was eyes-deep in the contraption again.

"If you're on that thing all night, god help you when we get in a moshpit." Aoi deadpanned.

Akane's head jerked up, eyes wide. "L-Like hell I'm going in one of those!" She cried. Nao snickered and Aoi smirked.

Mai just rolled her eyes, then turned to smile genuinely at Akane. "Nah, you three get the most out of it. I made a dumb mistake, so I can deal with missing a few minutes." _Or hours…ugh._

"Well, I don't see the problem." Aoi shrugged, hands in her coat pockets. "Just call us or something when you get in and we'll meet, okay?" She and the other two girls began turning towards the other, much smaller line, where people simply handed in their pre-ordered tickets and had their hands stamped.

"Sure. Have fun, guys." With a wave, the trio left, and Mai turned back around, sighing. She ran a hand swiftly through her fiery mane, violet eyes pleadingly staring up toward the front of the line.

_Sigh…I have the feeling this isn't going to be the only unfortunate thing to happen tonight, either._

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><p>About 45 minutes passed, before Mai finally came up to the front of the 'Services' booth, where they also sold tickets at the door.<p>

"Excuse me, could I have one adult ticket please?" She asked eagerly, her face a bit brighter now that she was finally at the front desk.

The gruff looking man with plenty of tattoos made a face. It looked…pitying. Mai blinked.

"Sorry, miss. We sold out a while ago. I was hoping you were going to ask for directions or something."

Mai was completely floored for a second, before her jaw dropped. "You've…_got _to be kidding me."

He shook his head, a look of sympathy on his face. "Y'know, you didn't hear this from me…" he leaned his head down a bit and talked a lot quieter. "A lot of the people you see walking 'round here are selling tickets for a little higher price than usual. You might have to spend a little more, but a ticket's a ticket." He leaned back up, smiling. Mai, still a little distressed, sighed and nodded, but made sure to thank him as she walked away.

_Jesus Crap. What am I supposed to tell the others? Am I gonna have to sit out here for god knows how many hours? Do I make them cancel so they can hate me for pretty much an eternity? _Mai sighed so loud, anyone in the vicinity could practically FEEL her stress. She wiped a hand over her face, leaning towards the side of the gate. Her violet eyes scanned over the area. A few people were scantly spread out, stopping people and offering them what appeared to be the tickets the man at the booth was talking about.

_Hm, I probably should at least TRY and get a ticket that won't leave me broke. _Mai thought to herself. Her eyes darted over the few people that she could tell were trying to sell tickets. _Now, which one should I ask first…hm? Is that a…girl?_

Mai squinted her eyes a little. She couldn't tell if it actually was a girl, or just a girly-looking dude with really long, really dark hair. It was hard to tell, the figure wore mainly guy's clothes, after all. They sported a grey beanie over their completely straight, blue-black hair, a black and aquamarine plaid button shirt, skinny black jeans that even looked a little slack, and black and white checkered slip-on shoes. That, and she was also facing them from behind, unable to see their face or if they had boobs or not.

"Well…they look the _least _sketchy in this bunch…" She mumbled quietly to herself. She was precarious at first, but eventually, she pushed herself up from the gate, and made slow, steady strides toward the stranger. They had been tapping their foot to some unknown beat, she noticed, and raised a brow. _Uh…there's no music playing just yet, what are they tapping to?_

Eventually coming up behind this person, Mai stood a bit awkwardly, before slowly opening her mouth. "Uhm, hey…are you selling tickets?" She asked softly, hands dove deep in her hood pockets.

A moment passed, the stranger completely ignoring her.

Mai blinked in surprise, leaning in a bit. "Uhm…hello?"

Still nothing. The crap, was this person deaf? Mai's brow furrowed in irritation, and finally lifted her hand, prodding the stranger in the back with her finger. "Hey!"

She jumped back a little, because the other person jumped as well, and whipped around so fast that Mai barely had time to blink. When she collected herself and took in the sight in front of her though, she almost didn't catch her jaw dropping.

She could tell it was a girl now, with _very _stunning features. Her hips were a little thin for a girl, which was what made it the most difficult to figure out her gender from behind. But her skin was a milky color, and her face had a gauntness to it. What was most enticing about her though, were those big, soft emerald eyes that near perfectly matched her button shirt.

The girl blinked, then she took out the white earbuds in her ears and smiled. "Hello." Her voice was a soft, low one, a bit of a mix between a mature woman's and a young boy's voice, and it was a little raspy as if she were used to yelling often.

Mai was a little delirious for a moment, before she shook her head, feeling her face warm up in embarrassment. "A-uhm, hi…are you selling tickets perhaps?" Mai was a little more quiet than usual.

The girl blinked, eying her for a moment. Mai cocked a brow. _The hell, it wasn't that weird of a question. _She thought, waiting for a reply from this girl, who suddenly smiled, shaking her head.

"Nope, sorry, no selling tickets here." She answered cooly, as if it were good news, or something.

Mai let out a sigh, running her hand through her hair quickly. _Great, I really don't feel like doing this all night. _"Oh well. Thanks anyways, bye." But before she even managed to turn around, the girl spoke up:

"Buuuut, I _do _have a ticket with me." The dark-haired woman pulled a small square out from the little pocket on her shirt, which was indeed a folded up ticket.

Mai's head snapped around and she gawked at the piece of paper, smiling wide. "Oh, wow, really?" She beamed in excitement.

"Yeah…it's mine." The woman made an even bigger smile, her dimples lightly showing up on her face. Hearing this, Mai's face visibly dropped, like someone was just murdered in front of her. Then her eyebrows went together in slight annoyance.

"O…kay. Nevermind, then. I'll be going now…" _How rude, _she mused, beginning to turn away for the second time.

"I'm just kidding. You can have it!" The girl chuckled playfully, holding it out just like a piece of candy to a small child.

Mai, even though she felt a bit dubious, turned again, a brow risen suspiciously. "…Really?" When the slightly taller woman kept her hand out holding the ticket, Mai smiled a little more, reaching for the little square. Before it slipped out of her grasp yet again.

"No, not really." This time the bluenette laughed out loud, she probably thought this was the funniest thing in the world. Mai, however, was not amused in the _least bit_, and was losing more patience every second she spent around this girl. Both hands on her hips, she leaned forward and glared into the other's vibrant emerald eyes.

"Listen, I bet you think this is hilarious, but I seriously need to get a ticket so I can meet my friends in there, or I'm stuck outside all day. So if you could please stop being so damn rude and decide if you want to sell me the ticket or not, I would _really _appreciate it." Mai retorted, her tone a lot more sharp now, and those violet eyes of hers gleamed intensely.

The other woman blinked a bit, before her natural expression turned into a wide smile. She held out the ticket yet again, an amused glint in her eyes. "Don't worry. I was serious the first time when I said I had a ticket for you."

After a long moment of Mai contemplating the seriousness of this rather peculiar person, she sighed, relaxing her arms and slumping her shoulders. She reached into her skirt pocket to pull out her wallet. "Thank you. So how much do I owe you?"

"You can have it…" she began, bringing her hand with the ticket away and pressing a finger against her cheek. "If you give me a kiss. Right on the cheek."

Mai froze like she had just been shot. Her head whipped up instantly, eyes large and a little startled.

"..Uhhmm…"

The stranger laughed, almost hysterically. After collecting herself and wiping a lone tear from her lightly colored face, she kept poking her cheek. "Oh, come on. Just one little kiss. For me?"

Mai instantly felt her lip twitch, as she stared at the woman's cheek. _I mean, it's not like she's unattractive…I'm pretty sure I don't swing that way, but it sure is better than paying somewhere around $100 for it…Plus, it's just on the cheek, it won't count._

Nodding, Mai slowly put her wallet back into her pocket, looking back up at the strange woman in front of her. "Well…whatever floats your boat I guess…" She mumbled, and she could feel the instant heat on her face as she took a few tentative steps closer.

The other girl's amused smile became even bigger, as she playfully leaned her head forward, the side of her face towards Mai. The redhead's brow furrowed. _Jeez, it's a damn peck on the cheek, why am I blushing like mad?_

But when she shut her eyes for a moment and put her lips closer to the girl's face, when they touched, it felt…_weird. Why is her skin damp? And so…warm? What in- OH MY SWEET LORD._

Apparently, this mischievous beauty took the opportunity while Mai's eyes were closed, to face forward, so that Mai's lips came right in contact with hers, meshing their mouths together in a kiss. Mai's eyes widened in complete shock, whilst the woman opened her eyes slowly, emeralds gleaming in amusement while she smirked in the kiss. Mai pulled away as quick as she physically could, heaving for breath and nearly trembling in anger.

"Aww, thanks! Here ya go, like I promised." The bluenette, completely oblivious to Mai's obvious discomfort and rage, held the ticket out again. "You're a good kisser, by th-"

_**THWAK!**_

"I-I…IDIOT!" Mai practically screamed as loud as she could, her entire body trembling and her face even more red than her hair. The palm of her hand burned, since it had just collided with the other woman's face, which was so powerful that it sent her to the ground in a curled up position.

Mai bent down, snatched the ticket loosely being held by the bluenette, and whipped around, stomping off.

_The freaking nerve of that…PERVERT! How DARE she kiss me like that? Not to mention she made me look like a damn fool, teasing me like that before letting me have the damn ticket! _Mai was fuming, her face still a bit red, both from anger and embarrassment. She put her hand up to her mouth, fingers lightly grazing her lips. Her mind was suddenly flooded with picture of those eyes, dark and mischievous, and that smile…then the feeling of her lips, soft, thin, a hint of cigarette on her breath…

She didn't like cigarettes, but found the taste to suddenly seem alluring.

_She had to take my first freaking kiss…damn everything. _Mai sighed audibly. Wait, why the hell was she thinking about those things? _No! Brain somewhere else! Booth! Entrance! Concert! Friends!_

After shaking her head, quickly typing into her phone that she found a ticket and was making her way inside and sending it to Aoi, she slouched, face up to the lightly grey sky. She groaned.

_And the day's just begun. _She thought in horror. What the hell waited for her inside, she wondered?

* * *

><p>"Mai, hurry up~." Aoi fidgeted as she talked in an impatient, sing-song voice while looking at the time on her phone. "The stage we're going to be at starts playing in like, ten minutes!"<p>

"Relax, they're going to have a couple opening shows that will most likely suck anyway." Nao blew a strand of red hair out of her eye, her arms crossed as she looked around, bored.

"I don't care! I wanna get to the front! Or atleast somewhere in the middle." She swayed back and forth, eyeing the gate Mai would be coming out of any minute.

"You sound like a bratty little kid." Nao deadpanned. Aoi glared and Akane giggled.

"Look, there she is!" Akane pointed, and the others turned as well, to see a …_pissed off? _Mai walking quickly over to them. She looked up at the trio, not at all smiling.

"Hey guys. Sorry I took so long. It was a… _huge pain _trying to get a ticket." Her voice was a little low, and she was frowning. She whisked some hair out of her face again.

"Really?" Aoi blinked. "What happened?"

"Let's just say that I had my first kiss, finally." Mai rolled her eyes, clearly irritated.

Again, Aoi blinked, twice. "…What?"

Mai groaned loudly. "Forget it, forget it. Let's go!" She then turned on her heel, walking briskly in the direction of the stage they were about to watch.

"…Mai."

"Huh?" She whipped around quickly, staring at Aoi, who was pointing behind her.

"…Stage's this way." She deadpanned. The other girls snickered.

The redhead blinked. "Ah. Right, sorry!" She smiled, walking just as briskly in the other direction. The others followed, looking at each other and shrugging before going along as well.

It had started raining lightly. A few bands had already played, Nao was able to swoon all over her favorite band when they finally came on, and they were all pretty dirty. They had mud on their faces and their clothes, and in their hair. Akane also moved away from the group when they stayed for the moshpits. Nao had a little blood on her lip, Aoi had a cut on her face, and Mai was spared any damage to her face but had a few bruises on her arms.

"Phew, I'm getting tired. Been hours since we got here." Nao yelled, since the crowd was loud even at intermission.

"I know. But the last few bands are coming up, and you know who's gonna be up next!" Aoi called back, rubbing the scratch on her cheek and smiling excitedly.

"Hells yeah!" The girl jumped up, a newfound energy waking her up.

"Who's playing next?" Mai yelled, pulling her blue hood over her head. Not that it mattered, she was pretty much soaked at this point.

"Oh, you'll see!" Aoi leaned into Mai's ear. Then, the crowed suddenly went into an uproar, because the next band was walking their way onto the stage. Akane, Aoi and Nao smiled wide, cheering and already clapping. Mai raised a brow and looked to the front of the stage. _This band is getting more hype than any of the previous ones. Wonder what the big deal is…_ she was then able to make out the people on stage.

…_Oh, dear god._

Mai could see them, alright. It looked like they were all girls, which was already impressive. There were four of them. The first to walk on stage was the drummer, who sat at the completely translucent drumset in the back. She was a little on the short side, but was thin and had an impressively athletic body. She had short black hair, messed all over the place, and this pair of incredibly startling but mesmerizing golden eyes. She had on a pair of black and green Circa skate sneakers, a piercing just under her lip and two in her left ear, a pair of grey cut-off jean shorts, and a simply white v-neck tee that was tight against her figure. She waved to the crowd while twirling a drumstick, and they responded with whistling.

The second to appear was the bassist, who swung their double-necked instrument around themselves with ease, showing off the peace sign as she came on stage. She looked a bit older, only about her mid twenties, though, with a lot of vermillion hair pulled back messily by a headband and yellowish-green eyes. She had on a black, noodle-strap top, black armbands with red X's on both her biceps, and baggy cargos with black sneakers. She had both earlobes gauged, but they were pretty small, not those gross, large ones.

A good majority of the ground instantly swooned when the guitarist ran on stage, holding up their quite _impressive_ -looking guitar to the audience with one arm, and then bringing it down. This girl was the tallest so far, with tanned skin, a set of thick-rimmed glasses, and messy black hair. She also looked the most boyish, because she wore a baggy black and white jersey that said _The Misfits_, that hid her figure, and wore a pair of skin-tight, black jeans. She had a pair of blue Vans shoes on. Stepping up to her microphone and eyeing the crowd, she winked. The crowd swooned and cheered again.

"My god, the guitarist is amazingly hot." Aoi was gawking at the woman on stage, eyes never leaving the sight. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Meh, I like the drummer more." Nao stated bluntly. Though it was a little difficult to make a blunt statement at the top of her lungs with the ridiculously loud crowd.

"But no one beats the singer." Aoi quipped, and both Nao and Aoi smirked at each other in agreement.

_I have the gayest gay friends, ever. _Mai grinned to herself, eyes watching the stage curiously. _I wonder who the singer is, out of curiosity…_

When the last member of the group made their way onto the stage, the crowd went completely nuts, even Aoi, Nao and Akane.

Mai just felt her jaw nearly hit the floor, and she felt like there was lead in her stomach.

Oh. _Oh god._

Walking to the center of the large stage, lights now flickering for effect, was the main singer of their group. A gray beanie, aquamarine button shirt, skinny yet slightly loose jeans, and black and white slip-ons. Oh, and straight, dark blue hair, milky skin, and the most beautiful green eyes anyone's ever see.

And a bruise on her left cheek.

"Hey, everbody! How's everyone!" The girl yelled into the mic, that same playful, raspy voice. Mai's eye twitched.

The whole crowd roared, clapping and whistling going on for quite some time until the girl at the microphone hushed them.

"Awesome! Because we plan to make this already amazing night even more amazing! But if we want that to happen, we need your help! This place needs to get fucking crazy! Are you ready?"

The crowd was so crazy, it felt like the ground was shaking.

"Alright! Start this shit up!" And at that queue, the bass of the double-peddled drums beat rapidly, and the guitarist worked her fingers so well to create a quick and brutal rhythm. The singer took the mic from the stand, instantly beginning to travel around the stage before coming to the front and raising her hand, yelling:

"This is _Orchestra of Wolves _and our first song is called 'Uneasy Hearts Weight the Most'!"

Then the rhythm of the entire song changed, shifting to a softer, funkier kind of sound. The singer swayed in time with the guitar, then the drums beat loudly in the huge amplifiers.

" _To feel her touch…_

_It's almost impossible to hold still_

_Maybe we can go back to…the way it was_

_Well at least let me love you the same."_

Mai was surprised at this, to say the least. She anticipated something a little more…hardcore, given the little speech that singer just gave. But her voice was mesmerizing. She swayed with the music, catching that perfect pitch that fit so perfectly with the notes of the guitar, in fluidity with the deep bass and momentum of the drums. In the next verse, the whole band voiced in song:

_"I got lies to tell your children!_

_When my smile pierces through your bones!_

_Right through your bones!_

_(Through your bones…)_

_The grass is green inside my yard!_

_I can make you laugh so fucking hard it hurts you_

_Inside your bones!_

_(Inside your bones…)_

The blue-haired woman bent down, smirking to the front of the crowd as they reached up, trying so eagerly just to touch the girl. She stretched out her hand, barely grazing their fingers, and stood back up.

_"When she talks, I listen, she's in the shower and her skin glistens_

_Like oh my god, I like it…_

_Like oh, oh god, I like it…_

_I suggest a drive, let's take the back road_

_Let's get lost, let's lose our minds…"_

Mai couldn't help but feel…_seduced_, in a way. The way this girl sang, her slightly nasally tone that was weirdly consuming, that high pitch and thick pronunciations… not to mention the way her gorgeous eyes loomed over the crowd like they were hunting, searching, looking into her soul.

There was a moment it seemed like she was looking right at Mai, who froze completely stiff. What's with that look? Why did it make her feel like the girl could see everything she was feeling?

_"Hey, little girl, I think we found it tonight_

_I think we glow that fuckin' bright, oh!_

_And when she laughs I like it_

_Like "oh ha ha ha ha ha"!_

The song continued over a repeated verse. It wasn't intense enough for moshing, but everyone jumped around, yelling and clapping, whistling and singing along with the song. Mai smiled a bit, her body moving along with the song after getting used to it. Whether or not the singer was an utter _delinquent_, they had a good sound._, and she has a beautiful voice, _she caught herself thinking, blushing pink and shaking her head._  
><em>_  
>"Holy shit, she smells like heaven,<em>

_Been best friends since we were eleven_

_And oh my god, I like her.."_

_"Yeah, I heard you like her..._

_Baby, I thought that we had something_

_Compared to him, I'm next to nothing_

_And oh my god, I like her..."_

_"Yeah, I heard you like her..."_

Suddenly, the guitarist began a string of intense rifts, and then the singer smirked. The crowd suddenly got even more excited than they were before. It seemed like the best part of the song was about to come up, or the breakdown at least. The raven-haired woman rushed to the front of the stage and yelled to the crowd:

"Everyone get the _fuck _up!"

They did just that, when a burst of hardcore sound came down on the crowd, each of the musicians head banging in unison. Then she whipped her hair over her head, out of the way, face turning red as she yelled with an incredible force:

_**"I am a million fucking bucks!**_

_**I am a thousand fucking bucks!**_

_**Your bitch is dead, she was hit by a truck!**_

_**What the fuck!"**_

Okay, if Mai wasn't impressed before, _now _she was impressed. _Kudos to one of the only girl singers I know that can scream well, _she then chuckled lightly at the sudden change in pace of the song. She also admired the aura she was feeling off of the group on stage. They beamed with confidence, and the singer wore a proud smirk, as sweat glistened attractively over her face in the bright stage lights. _Sweat, attractive? Jeez, pull it together Mai. You don't like the music THAT much. _She shook her head again._**  
><strong>__  
>"Holy shit she smells like heaven,<em>

_Been best friends since we were eleven_

_And oh my god, I like her.."_

_"Yeah, I heard you like her..._

_Baby, I thought that we had something_

_Compared to him, I'm next to nothing_

_And oh my god, I like her..."_

_Yeah, I heard you like her..."_

As soon as the song ended, everyone screamed and howled, the slightly panting and sweating musicians all waving their hands on stage. Breathing softly into the microphone, the singer put the mic back on the stand.

"Th…thank you all! It's a…wonderful night for an awesome concert. If you haven't seen us before… we are _Orchestra of Wolves_, and I'm Natsuki. We would really appreciate if you check out some of our music online." She smiled, her dimples back on her face.

_Ah… a name to a face, now. _Mai quirked her brow in amusement, a smile on her lips. This night was fun, and now she actually felt bad for what she had done to the girl earlier. Maybe, she thought, she could manage to find the girl later, and give her a sincere apology-

"What's that on your face!" A random person yelled in the crowd. Natsuki blinked, putting her hand to the bruise on her cheek.

"Oh, this?"

Mai turned white.

Then the singer grinned. "Well, I actually got this _today! _I was minding my own business, when suddenly this _really pretty _girl just came on up asking for my ticket! Now I was all for giving it to her, all I wanted was a little kiss, that's all. And she _slapped me_ and took the thing! Can you believe it?"

There was a mix of booing, laughing, and gasping. Mai just stood there, completely dumbstruck.

"Th-that is NOT what happened!"

Aoi whirled around then, eyeing the redhead curiously. "Who-what now?" She yelled.

"Th-that _girl _was being a complete jerk to me!" She yelled as she pointed a finger to the stage. "She tricked me and told me she was just wanted a kiss on the damn cheek, and then made me kiss her on the _lips! _She took my first kiss, damnit!"

Wondering why Aoi wasn't responding, Mai blinked, and looked up at her friend. Who of which was staring at her as if she spontaneously grew a third boob.

"Uhm…" Mai stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Y-You…" Aoi could barely comprehend speech, lifting her hand slowly and pointing. "You _kissed _her?"

"Uhm…well, yeah… I didn't want to, I mean-MMPH!"

The guitarist was idly standing on stage tuning her guitar when she decided to look up at the crowd. Almost instantly, her steely eyes fell on Aoi and Mai, who appeared to be lip-locked in a pretty passionate kiss. A wide, chesire grin appeard on her face, and she gently nudged Natsuki. The singer stopped mid-sentence to face her friend, who jerked her head in their direction. Eying the two, Natsuki's grin also spread into a wide smirk.

"mm-BAH! AOI, WHAT THE FUCK!" Mai yelled, at the top of her lungs, face completely flushed, her chest heaving as she stared at Aoi in nothing less than bewilderment.

"YOU HAD HER LIPS ON YOU! I WOULD DIE FOR THAT!" Aoi responded loudly, and by now a few people were watching them in mild amusement. Hell, even the band on stage.

"What the hell, are you a creep or what? Get a life!"

"That's easy for you to say! You're the one that macked it with Natsuki _fucking _Kuga-"

"I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO SHE WAS! And she TRICKED me!"

"Oh, that is SUCH _BULLSH-"_

"Hey there, girl on girl action going on over here?"

Both Aoi and Mai immediately stopped yelling, turning their heads to the projected voice on stage. It was the guitarist, who was wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. The crowd laughed.

But then before Mai could blush any more from embarrassment, as if that were physically possible today, she was caught in a locked gaze with confused, emerald orbs. Natsuki grinned wide in surprise, pointing right at the redhead.

"Hey, that's her, right there!"

"Who's who?" The guitarist questioned, turning her head as she stood next to Natsuki.

"That really pretty girl who bitch-slapped me!"

All eyes that could do it, sat right on Mai. The crowd was silent. White as a ghost, Mai looked up at the sky.

_Hey, God or Buddha or whatever? Could you send down one of those lightning bolts for me so I can just get electrocuted and die? No? Okay._


	2. Savior

_So I got extremely demotivated a few months ago where I had this chapter completely written out and half of the next chapter of APC and then my computer unexpectedly wiped, taking all my files with it. Needless to say it took a bit of time to get back into the groove. Basically shit happened. Here, have a chapter._**  
><strong>

_Oh, and I didn't profreed this, these character's aren't mine, yadda yadda. _

* * *

><p><strong>Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most<strong>

**Chapter 2 - Savior**

"Aoi. Seriously. I feel like people's eyes are burning stares in the back of my head." Mai Tokiha hunkered down against the wooden table she was sitting at, her violet eyes skeptically switching from side to side as miscellaneous bodies walked by her.

Aoi was also there with her, a shade of mirthful pink on her cheeks as she took another swig from her red cup. Tapping it down back onto the table, she turned her head with sluggishness and quirked her brow at Mai.

"Oh c'mon, Miss Wusspants. No one here is gonna start crap with you. They're too busy dancing, and getting drunk, like me." She smirked slightly, swirling the cup in the air to indicate the mixture of alcohol and fruit juice that sloshed around. Mai sighed. They had managed to slip out of the crowd earlier that day, at the expense of missing most of the rest of the lineup. Nao was a bit pissy, needless to say, for a couple hours afterward, though mostly because it was time lost swooning over her favorite drummer. But as night came, almost everyone from the concert took their cars a few miles down the street, to a string of parties settled in the boonies over a course of houses. The one they went to happened to be in one of the largest houses on the street - practically a mansion settled on top of a hill down a long dirt path. Aoi sort of wondered who would have the balls to host an after party with such an expensive home, taking all responsibility for the actions of a crapload of strangers. And then she took the free drinks getting thrown in her face and just shrugged it off. Who was complaining?

Mai made a face of indecision before she let her shoulders slump, looking around a bit more. It was true that anyone was hardly looking over at them, too busy laughing amongst themselves, drinking and dancing around. Turning back to Aoi, who was idly chatting with a group of kids, she huffed slightly, when suddenly she felt a vibration in her hoodie pocket. Pulling out her phone, she turned on the screen to open a text.

' _come dance! Big room near the stairway. - Nao'_

With a quirked brow, Mai made an amused grin. Nao wasn't exactly the social type, at least without doing something that got her into trouble, which meant she probably had a few drinks in her already. With a shake of her head, Mai stood from her seat and began to shuffle away. "I'm gonna go find Nao. Text me later or something, Aoi."

"Have fun! And have a drink, goddamnit!" Aoi turned and made an animated gesture at the retreating redhead, who just rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked away.

It wasn't like she didn't _want _to drink. She was just… the responsible type. She was the one her friends always went to when they needed someone to get them out of some ridiculous crap Mai herself couldn't imagine even getting herself into. And she figured, in case they had to hightail it, Aoi sure as hell wasn't in shape to drive. She didn't like to think of herself as a goody-goody, she was just the type to think ahead.

Right?

_Who am I kidding. I never do anything wrong. This is probably the most 'exciting' thing I've done. _She rolled her eyes a little to herself as she walked through the bustles of people, making it down the hall towards the stairway. She walked past it, through another large, open passing which lead into a larger room. There was furniture pushed out to the outskirts of the room, several colored lights flicking to the bass-heavy music, with a clump of people dancing in the center. Walking in skeptically, Mai tried to focus and look for vibrant red hair anywhere in the crowd. With no luck, she sighed and walked in more, until she was eventually involved in the vast movement of bodies.

_You'd figure she'd stand out for me to find her. _Mai frowned to herself as she looked over the clump of unfamiliar faces. She didn't particularly like the feeling of being alone. Hell, she was surprised some drunken idiot hadn't tried to pull some moves on her yet. So she tried to look around for Nao before such a scenario could take place. Nao was the kind of friend who would kick anyone's ass, man or woman, if they tried anything funny. As she tried passing through the group, a hand suddenly took hold of her arm and twisted her around. Eyes wide, Mai turned and stared at the face behind her.

"Hey, _bitch. _You wouldn't be the one who hit Natsuki Kuga, right?" the girl who confronted Mai was just about the same weight, in a set of dark, tight-fitting, and slightly revealing clothing, and plenty of showy makeup in tow. Oh, Mai also took note of her outrageous mess of black and yellow hair. And she almost visibly rolled her eyes. _Typical scene-girl, _she mused.

"You listening to me, huh, you bitch?" Mai suddenly snapped back into attention at the slightly slurred words being yelled at her. Oh wait, this girl is pissed. At Mai. The redhead suddenly gulped, trying not to show any sense of fear as she stayed completely still. But if anyone suddenly touched her they'd see right through her, since her arms were shaking like leaves.

"You have NO business bruising Natsuki's beautiful face, you son of a bitch. An' you're such a pussy, I saw you leave when you got called out. Didn't think you'd get away with it did ya?" Mai also didn't notice that there were two other girls on either side of this one, until now, as they suddenly moved up on her, and she was quickly being pressed into a confined space of people. The feeling made her stomach sink and her nerves jolt.

_Shit…I knew this would happen. Nao, seriously , you need to come in and be my fucking knight in shining armor right now. _Mai gradually began to panic, seemingly washing out the threats she was receiving because she was too preoccupied looking for a way out, or for someone she knew. In that moment, she couldn't help but feel weak. She was alone and scared, and was about to get the shit beat out of her. So she just shut her eyes, tightened her fists, and hoped they were too drunk to land anything serious.

"Oh, sorry.." someone had mumbled close by Mai, as she felt a body brush against her. It made her jump at first, but when she realized it wasn't a fist colliding with her face, she slowly opened her eyes, only to suddenly be jerked to one side as her wrist was taken and pulled. She was resistant at first, but quickly composed herself and followed whoever was ushering her out from the crowd. Back where she was, all three girls were blinking and turning their heads in confusion, letting out slurred curses before stumbling off.

Mai looked up to try and catch the face of the person who was pulling her. It sure as hell wasn't Nao, they were too tall. And it wasn't Aoi, too thin. And their form was covered by a dark hooded sweatshirt. Eventually, they moved out into the hallway, and the stranger pushed the bathroom door open, bringing them inside. Once Mai could stop and relax, she slumped over and sighed in loud relief. Then she took a slow turn around, the anxiety getting to her. Because this could either be her hero of the night, or someone who wanted to take advantage of her in a whole different way…

…_Her? _Mai's amethyst eyes widened. A hand brought the black hood away from the stranger's face, revealing milky skin, a thin face, beautiful green eyes, and a bruised cheek.

"Hey there." Natsuki cooed lightly, a soft inflection in her voice while her cheeks were an almost opaque shade of pink. Looks like she had also been hitting the shots too. Mai was still a bit frozen, unsure of what to do. Her lips barely parted. "…Hey." She answered quietly. It echoed in the roomy - and impressive - bathroom.

"Got yourself in a bit a' trouble, huh?" She chuckled, showing a bit of teeth and exaggerating her dimples. Mai felt her lip twitch, face darkening slightly in embarrassment while she rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess so… they were a bit pissed off that I hit you, I guess."

"Don't worry about it, you're safe now." Natsuki waved her hand dismissively, as she let herself lean into the counter behind her. Mai nodded softly, looking away from Natsuki towards the floor. Until she heard the musician chuckling softly again and jerked up. "What's so funny?"

"I just felt bad I didn't find you sooner. Your arm was shaking so bad I could feel it over the bass." She smiled playfully, that boyish smile, causing Mai to blush heavily and return to burning a stare into the floor.

"W-well I don't fight people, especially when they're intoxicated!" She retorted, flustered, as she put her hands awkwardly in her hoodie pockets.

"Right, right…what were you doin' by yourself anyway? Weren't you with-"

"I can take care of myself!"

Natsuki's emerald eyes widened at Mai's sudden outburst, and said redhead whipped her head upward and made a similarly exasperated expression. They stared at each other a moment, before Natsuki smiled, raising her hands defensively.

"Hey hey, I didn't say you couldn't babe. I was just saying it's no fun to party when you're not in good company with friends. An' I know you have some with you, since you were with them earlier."

"Don't call me babe." Mai had slightly pouted after calming down, though her eyes were nearly always avoiding the other woman's. "And, I was looking for my friend Nao, because she asked me to come dance with her. I just got caught at a bad time…"

"Fair enough," Natsuki answered, that smile ever present as she leaned back lazily, hands in the pockets of her hoodie. "And alright, my bad, no more silly names. But, I don't know what else to call you, since I don't know your real name."

Mai took a moment before she slightly raised her head to look up at Natsuki. "…It's Mai. Tokiha Mai."

Then suddenly, the raven-haired woman's grin grew wider and warmer. She held out her hand. "Kuga. Natsuki Kuga."

Mai looked at the hand in hesitation, before slowly raising her own and shaking the girl's hand. She had a gentle hold, and her palm was a little sweaty. As she shook Natsuki's hand, Mai gazed up and caught that purplish mark left on the side of her face. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she took her hands away to gently graze the bruise with one of her fingers. "Wow… I didn't think I hit you that hard…"

"Well, you hit me hard enough to send me to the ground, and pretty dizzy afterward…" Natsuki chuckled lightly, but made a slight twitch in her face when the wound stung. Mai immediately brought her hand back with a frown. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt that much now."

"No.. I mean, for doing it in the first place." She looked down a bit, then up again. "I had no right to hit you just because I was in a bad mood and forgot to buy a pass."

"Hey, I _was _being a douche earlier. And if it weren't for that single encounter, we wouldn't be here right now." She smiled genuinely at Mai, whose cheeks couldn't help but warm up again. _Why the hell is it every time she smiles at me, it makes me feel weird…_

She looked at the bruise again, making herself frown. _It is my fault… and she did just save my ass…_

"Hold on…let me clean it up. Hopefully the swelling will go down a little." Mai walked beside Natsuki, taking a small handkerchief from one of the pockets of her skirt. She ran it under ice cold water, and the musician hoisted herself up to sit on the counter, letting her legs dangle as she watched the redhead in amusement. Mai then turned, and stood in front of the other woman, and very slowly raised the wet handkerchief to the wound, pressing down on it. Natsuki's eye winced slightly, but after a second, seemed completely normal. Then she smiled, and chuckled. "It's just a bruise, y'know."

"Well, it's my fault it's there, so…" She mused, dabbing the fabric softly on the swollen skin. Maybe she could be a fighter if she wanted, seeing as how just a slap could do this to a person… "And it's the least I could do. You got me a ticket for free, _and _you saved me from those bimbos.

Natsuki laughed heartily, her pearly teeth showing. "Bimbos, ahah. They were pretty trashy lookin'."

"And, looked like they were, what, 16?"

"I'll bet 15." And they both laughed lightly. Mai smiled, applying a little bit of pressure as she sort of just rested her hand against the woman's cheek. Said girl raised a hand of her own, and gently rested it over Mai's, causing her to stiffen, and her face to instantly increase a few degrees in temperature.

Natsuki chuckled again. "You're so uptight all the time. Am I that gross?"

"N-no…" Mai retorted. "You're just perverted. And you're a girl."

"Sooo?" Natsuki protested playfully, as she leaned forward with a familiar grin. "If you didn't like the attention, you wouldn't be blushing so muc-OW!"

Mai had "accidentally" applied pressure to the wound, then she gasped slightly and immediately felt bad, taking the pressure off. "I'm sorry…you just, say a lot of things that piss me off.." she frowned. It only made Natsuki smile again.

"I just think it's cute when you get wound up."

Mai just sighed, causing Natsuki to laugh lightly again.

"…In any case…" Mai began, quietly, "I owe you, for pretty much saving my butt twice in the same day. So, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you…" _And I suddenly feel like I'm gonna regret ever saying that. _Mai sighed inwardly.

"_Anything?_" Natsuki's brow raised, rubbing her chin as if in thought. Mai simply swallowed, anticipating the worst. It's not like she could back down now, after saying it. Constantly getting herself in situations she'd rather not be in.

But Natsuki just laughed heartily and leaned back on the counter. "Relax, relax, I'm not planning anything, trust me." She raised her arms again in defense, and Mai slouched with a sigh.

"Though.." Natsuki sat back, looking up to the ceiling a bit. Mai's gaze shot upward.

"…What about a kiss?"

Mai blinked, slowly drawing her hand away. The handkerchief settled on the counter, and the redhead sighed. "Again?" But when the singer shook her head, Mai blinked in confusion once more.

"Nope…I wanna real kiss this time. Not one that I gotta sneak."

Mai could feel her whole body nearly freeze, even though her temperature was rocketing.

"C'mon, pleeeaaase? I think I deserve at least that much! An' you're really pretty...and a good kisser." The singer's smile grew, her green eyes glinting playfully. At her expression and plea, all Mai could do was stare in hesitation for a long moment, before she let out a sigh.

"…Yeah yeah, fine, just…don't tell anyone!" She answered sharply, feeling the heat in her face spread. Honestly, she might hold a new record for the amount of times to have blushed profusely within a 24 hour span.

Natsuki made the motion of a zipper running across her lips with her fingers, then her eyes were gleaming with childish excitement. Mai almost rolled her eyes, but also had to stop herself from smiling. _She acts like she's never kissed anyone before. And there's no way in HELL that's true. _She suddenly remembered that she had a promise to uphold to, and let out a long breath, trying to calm down. "Okay…"

Prepping herself, Mai stepped closer, which made Natsuki slip closer to the edge of the counter, and move her legs apart to that Mai could settle close to her. _Wow, way to make this way more inappropriate than it already was…_Mai stiffened again, feeling her cheeks heat up. She inwardly berated herself. _Okay, okay. Just a kiss…you already lost your first one…you can do it again._

Mai took in Natsuki's features quickly, since she was now in a closer proximity. Under the artificial light, the shadows fell over the singer's face in a rather appealing way. And it made her green eyes gleam softly, like the jewels whose color they so closely resembled. To her surprise, actually looking into the woman's eyes calmed her nerves. So she kept her own open, and continued to look into the emerald orbs, letting her body lean further forward, until her hands rested against the counter, she began to turn her head, and part her lips…

And again, the feeling of softness, warmth, and the familiar taste of cigarettes flowed against her own lips as she kissed Natsuki. At this point she could safely close her eyes, since the singer had done the same now. After a few seconds, Natsuki had exhaled into Mai's mouth, that created such a strange sensation in the redhead, it also made her exhale, and her body go rigid in a strong, tingling sensation all over her skin. The sensation, that moment, lasted, until both of them began to struggle for oxygen, and both pulled away, gasping softly for breath. Both pair of lips slightly dampened and swollen, they opened their eyes slowly, vision a bit hazed. A few seconds of flustered gazing, catching their breath, they began to shyly smile at each other under lidded eyes.

_Okay, so, that was a bit more…involved than I was anticipating…but…_

And then suddenly, the sound of the door whirling open shattered the silence of the bathroom, causing Mai to jump so bad that she instinctively clutched onto Natsuki and pulled her forward. She had managed to pull her from the counter, and the singer's only thought of reaction was to tighten her legs around the redhead's waist as she prayed not to be dropped on hard tile.

Standing within the doorway was a small group of people, one of them in particular being Aoi that had stumbled slightly through the door, leaning against the frame with a flushed, drunken expression.

"H'okay, who're the assbutts takin' up the bath…Oh. _Oh damn."_

"..Uhm…Aoi. This. Isn't what it looks like?" Mai stood there, completely dumbfounded, her body just stiff, as she stared at the pairs of eyes that were now staring intently at her predicament. Apparently, they were in the bathroom a little longer than they thought.

_Wait. How long were we kissing if I didn't even here anyone knocking…? _As her face burned a greater shade of red than her hair, she looked back at Natsuki, who just wore a wide grin. The redhead blinked. "…WHY DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING?" She yelled, abruptly dropping her grip on Natsuki, who just latched on even harder, causing Mai to squeak.

"..Uhm," Aoi started sluggishly. "Iunno, what the FUCK ELSE you could be doing to end up in _this _position," she pointed a finger at the two, stumbling comedically by the doorframe, "but hey, don't let me stop ya, girl! I'll move these assholes somewhere else to use the bathroom…" And thus the drunken Aoi spun on her heal, a bit ungracefully, waving her hands a bit. "Oy, losers, give Natsuki and her lover some space. Go use a bush or something' the floor, who gives a shit, gogogo!" As Aoi ushered the stumbling onlookers away, a good handful were managing to pull off a few snapshots, with phones or any picture-taking device they had at their disposal. A few of them praised the scene with whistles and hollering before Aoi managed to turn and give Mai a cheeky wink, and slammed the door shut again.

Completely floored, Mai managed to blink herself back into consciousness as she shook her head, staring down at Natsuki again. The silence lingered a long moment.

"…So…good kiss, huh?"

"Get off me."

"But…but you're so warm and comf-BUAA-Uh…ow.."

Natsuki groaned slightly as her tailbone bumped into the floor, having been completely shoved off by a now fuming Mai. Not so much in anger as complete embarrassment, her face aglow in all kinds of color as a hand swept over her face.

_Dear god. Have mercy. I'm about to be the center of some ridiculous celebrity drama bullshit I've never in my life thought I'd have to deal with…because of this…damn girl. All for one kiss I never expected. _


	3. Find a Way

_Hooray for speedy updates. I'm sucking all of the creativity out of myself before it disappears and then I don't write anything for another month._

_Also, inspiration for this chapter - "Find a Way" by Safetysuit. Such a fitting song._

_Don't own shit._

* * *

><p><strong>Uneasy Hearts Weight the Most<strong>

**Chapter 3 - Find a Way**

_Hold on, what's the rush, what's the rush, _

_we're not done are we?_

_Cause I don't need to change this atmosphere we've made,_

_If you can stay one more hour, can you stay one more hour?_**  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"To be honest, I think I'd rather not be seen around you for a little while. Or ever." Mai protested loudly as she called over the volume of the music beating through the house. Her wrist was again being tugged by a familiarly enthusiastic Natsuki Kuga, passing through each clump of people and seeming to ignore any and all who either tried to get her attention or draw it to them.<p>

"Hey now, I need to repay you for the trouble I've caused, so I won't have any excuses. We're gonna have a great night, you'll see." Natsuki had determination in her voice, her eyes locked forward with that strong smile. Mai however, could only gaze from side to side in skepticism. She didn't exactly like the idea of being tugged off by someone she had only just met. Surely they had gone through plenty in a matter of 12 hours or so, and she had _some _inclination to believe that Natsuki wouldn't think of doing anything, well, _scandalous. _

_But can I really trust this girl? I'd have a mind to think she's being so calm and polite to try at getting in my pants later…and hah, I don't care HOW wasted I get, there's no way I'm sleeping with another girl, popular musician or not. _Mai's eyes focused on the back of said musician's head, inwardly nodding to herself. Using her free hand as she was being guided all around the place - of which she really wasn't sure which part of the house she was in at this point - she pulled her phone from her pocket in case anyone had tried getting a hold of her. Several unmarked messages popped up, and her eyes widened. "Oh crap," she mumbled to herself, opening each message.

'_where r u? gettin it on with kuga? ;D - Aoi'_

Mai almost rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. Next message.

'_Mai, you alright? Aoi told me you were busy becoming a groupie, hope that means you're having fun! -Akane'_

_Fucking really, Aoi?! _Now gritting her teeth, she sighed loudly, opening the final message.

'_Slut. - Nao'_

"UUUUUGH." Mai exasperated as she stuffed her phone back into her jacket pocket, now stomping behind Natsuki. The raven-haired woman blinked and turned her head to the side to look back at the redhead. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Oh nothing," Mai began to answer casually, "My friends just think I'm sleeping around with band members, no big deal."

Natsuki blinked a few more times, before she exhibited a cheeky smile. "Hey now, you should only be so lucky. Plus, they should know by now a well-mannered, good little girl like you wouldn't _dare _lose their virginity before marriage?"

"Whoever said I was a _virgin_?!" Mai roared, shaking her arm violently and trying to take her wrist from Natsuki's grasp, who naturally, refused to comply. Then she thought for a moment, and her face wrinkled angrily. "And where the hell do you get off calling me a good girl?! You don't know me!"

"Let's just say I can tell these kinds of things…" Natsuki answered slowly, attempting to hide her grin as she faced forward and ignored Mai's struggling against her movement. They approached one of the large, carpeted staircases, the singer hoisting Mai with her as they ascended. There were several people scattered over the steps, either hitting their drinks or various paraphernalia, making out, or just plain _passed _out.

Mai had eventually calmed down with a wrinkled brow and a frown, and suddenly she felt even more uneasy as they took to the stairs. She didn't like the idea of being away from the main area of the party, not to mention she had no idea where the hell any of her friends were. So, this could either be another predicament, or she was just over-analyzing the situation and should just try to have a good time. She let her shoulders relax again.

Natsuki felt less resistance from the redhead behind her, and turned her head to the side a bit with a grin. They made it to the top of the stairs, and towards the left, going down the hall until Natsuki stopped at a door just slightly cracked open, with a few boisterous, feminine voices coming from inside. And once Natsuki stepped back, brought up her foot, and kicked the door wide open, Mai's eyes widened in surprise. _What the hell? Not like this is her house, she can't just do crap like that! _

"Hey, assholes!" Natsuki finally released Mai's wrist, throwing her arms up as she walked in the room with one of her wide, toothy smiles.

"Hey, bitch!" She was met with acknowledgement from another woman, taller with ashy colored hair and glasses. Mai recognized her, blinking in realization. _Oh, the guitarist. The one Aoi is pretty much retarded over. _Mai rolled her eyes slightly with a subtle grin.

The said guitarist met Natsuki's raised hands with her own, meeting in a double high-five. Smiling to each other, Natsuki stood up straight. "Oh yeah! Hey guys, I'd like ya to meet Mai. I've been showin' her around tonight." The singer stepped to the side, showing the redhead to the rest of the room. Inside were the rest of the band members that were on the stage earlier.

"Mai, this is Chie." Natsuki explained, and the tall girl sauntered closer with an alluring grin. She bent down, gently took Mai's hand in her own, and placed a kiss on the top of it. She looked up, grey eyes shimmering as she winked. "Pleasure's mine, miss Mai. Chie Harada, at your service."

As she stood up, Mai couldn't hold back the grin and blush that etched its way on her face. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Nice to meet you, Chie." _Well, definitely better manners than this one at least._

As Chie grinned again, Natsuki rolled her eyes and waved her off. "Alright alright, I got other people to introduce. Over there," Natsuki pointed, "that's Midori, our bassist…who's already wasted it seems."

"_Sccchhhhwasted, _to you, sirmaam!" Midori, the vermillion beauty, waved a pointed finger every which way, a flask of southern comfort taking up the other hand. She just laid back against the large bed she sat on, back against the frame. She then turned her sluggish attention to Mai, raising her bottle. "Oy, pretty lady." she winked to the redhead as well.

"Eheh, hey." Mai waved slightly, laughing nervously. _What the hell, are they all womanizers?_

"And this one over here is Mikoto." Natsuki addressed the final member of the room, who had been nonchalantly stuffing her face with a bag of cookies on the other side of the bed. Looking up and blinking her intense golden eyes, which seemed a bit hazy, she exhibited a wide grin and waved, crumbs aligning her lips. "Hiya there, Mai!"

Watching what looked like the youngest girl of the bunch, Mai again felt a warmness in her cheeks as she smiled genuinely. "Hello, Mikoto."

The girl in turn laughed lightly, smiling even more. When suddenly, the bag in her hands disappeared, and she gasped in surprise, looking in her empty hands as if a murder just took place.

"Mikoto I swear to god, every time you get the munchies it's like feeding a fucking landfill." Chie scoffed as she held the almost empty bag at bay, shaking it to realize the danger of its low contents. Her eyes widened. "What the hell, they're almost gone already!"

"Eheeeh…" Mikoto rubbed her cheek sympathetically, until she was being tackled into the bed by the bespectacled guitarist who proceeded to beat her with a half empty bag of cookies.

"These! Were! Mine! You damn! Glutton!" Chie bantered as she continued her assault on the smaller girl, who was laughing uncontrollably at this point as she made an attempt to fend off each attack.

"Right, weeeellll…" With a lighthearted chuckle, Natsuki rubbed her neck and then turned to Mai, who had been intent on watching the playful display until Natsuki's voice broke her out of the daze she was in. Straightening up, her violet eyes fell on the singer, feeling her face slightly warm up in embarrassment." _That drummer. Mikoto. She looks a bit younger than the others…_

"So yeah, these are my bandmates, and my best friends. Welcome to the club!" With a smile, milky-skinned beauty sauntered over to the others, plopping herself down on the edge of the bed with the rest of her friends. This gave Mai the opportunity to actually look around the room. While the décor itself was nice, with a large bed, a couple lounge chairs, and a wall-mounted television, there were already cups piling up on the dresser and nightstand, some on the floor, and out in plain view was a bong about 2 feet in height beside the bed.

_I kinda had a feeling it smelled funny in here. _Mai eyed the impressive glassware a bit warily. Well, it _was_ beautiful looking, despite the purpose it was used for. It had bright aquamarine splotches mixed in with blue and purple swirls circulating all through the glass. And from the looks of the lethargic Mikoto grinning endlessly on the bed as Chie continued chastising her, she figured she had put two and two together.

_They all, well…remind me of my friends. _Mai thought to herself, taking in the scene as Natsuki was now trying to pry the alcohol from Midori's hand, who was completely refusing as she held it away from the whining singer. At some point Chie had left Mikoto alone, just long enough to appear beside Mai, a sly grin on her face.

"So uh, Mai." She asked coolly.

The redhead whipped her head around. "Y-yes?" She answered nervously. The guitarist's tone was a little…dubious.

"Where's that friend of yours? Y'know, the one you were givin' the crowd a show with earlier." She grinned once she saw that Mai's face heated up in an adorable way.

"Sh-she's here, somewhere at least. Why are you asking exactly?" Mai turned her head slowly back to Natsuki, watching the continuous antics.

"Oh, no reason." Chie gazed up innocently, causing Mai to roll her eyes.

"As if. Look," and then the busty woman turned on her heel to face Chie, who looked down in slightly surprise at the sudden movement. She was looking into very serious violet eyes. "I don't need you trying to sweep my best friend off her feet, so that you can break her heart the next day. You touch my friend, you're answering to me." She then prodded a finger into Chie's chest, who at this point was actually rendered speechless.

Natsuki turned her head when she heard Mai's sudden outburst, disregarding the alcohol and flailing Midori for a moment to admire Mai. Slowly, a wide grin plastered on her face, as her emerald eyes sparkled. _It's so weird. One minute she's so conservative, so shy and unsure…and the next, she'll slap you across the face, or she'll start poking you in the chest and threatening you. _Natsuki couldn't keep herself from smiling so much that her teeth showed against her lips. _What is it about this girl that feels so familiar…_

Chie, still being held up by the now interrogating Mai, raised her arms in defense with a bewildered grin. "Hey, come on now, what would give you that idea?"

"Oh _please_." Mai rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe you're part of such a well-known band that you _don't_ have girls crawling all over you guys?"

With a sheepish smile, Chie scratched her cheek. "Uh, well, I mean, yeah. We do. But, we don't take advantage of any of em', promise!"

"Uh, yeah, _we _don't." Midori sluggishly chimed in, waving the bottle again as she hiccup/burped. "But you're like a wild animal during mating season. Like, _all four _seasons."

"Wh-what the hell, Midori! You're on my side!" Chie exasperated as she turned to glare at Midori, who only grinned wide and eventually began to cackle, rolling on her side in laughter.

Mai couldn't help but giggle madly. She sighed afterward and looked up. "I'll introduce you to her later. But remember. No funny business." She pointed an accusing finger at the guitarist, who nodded her head and grinned sheepishly.

"Right right, zero business of the humorous persuasion, Your Highness."

And Mai just couldn't help but laugh again, which in turn made the others in the room laugh with her. Chie then turned to look at Natsuki with a wide grin. "Hey, quite the catch you've got here. I like her spunk."

Realizing Chie had meant her, Mai instantly blushed softly, standing up straight but averting her eyes to the ground. The bluenette raised a brow, that casually lazy smile returning to her face as she leaned up off the bed and walked towards her.

"Well, she can be a pain sometimes." Natsuki brushed her fingers swiftly over her healing cheek. "But when you warm to her, she's not all that bad." And she laughed heartily when she received a punch in the bicep, grunting as she rubbed her arm. "What was that for?" She feigned a look of hurt.

"For being…you." Mai simply smirked, the color still alive in her face as she looked the other woman in the eyes. When Natsuki looked back, her expression changed into a deeper one, matching those amethyst orbs with equal admiration.

_It's like every time she looks at me with that smile…_Mai took in the subtle glimmer of light in Natsuki's eyes. She could feel her pulse suddenly bump up in pace. _It's like she's seeing right through me. _

They remained that way, just gazing at each other, until Chie's loud cough caused them both to jump slightly and turn to look in her direction.

Chie looked between both Mai and Natsuki a second, before raising her hands in the air. "…Party?"

"…PARTY!" Natsuki leaped in the air, hands held high as she leaped around the room in excitement, shoving both Midori and Mikoto off of the bed and toward the door. Midori nearly stumbled onto her face, while Mikoto just blinked a few times, before grinning and casually motioning towards the door with a lazy fist in the air. "Wooooo."

"Alright guys, here's the mission." Natsuki returned back beside Chie, pulling her forward as they all huddled, Midori and Mikoto following suit. Mai blinked curiously, slightly anxious for whatever Natsuki was trying to pull.

"So, tonight, we're gonna show this pretty girl how to have a good time, right?"

"Right!" The rest of the group chanted in unison. With that they all stood, rose their hands, and brought them all together in the center before separating, bursting out into laughter. Natsuki then threw her arm around Mai's shoulders, who squeaked in turn, and the musician pointed towards the door.

"Onward, soldiers!"

With that, the crew of _Orchestra of Wolves _busted through the door, cheering and hollering, Mai being dragged along in Natsuki's arm. She felt a nervousness in her body, a pulling feeling of uncertainty and regret. Then suddenly as they were running down the hallway, Natsuki stopped them, turning sharply around to force Mai to face her. The redhead froze, eyes locked onto the bright emeralds that she just couldn't make herself look away from.

"I'll protect you, okay?"

Mai audibly gasped. She felt her chest bounce hard, like her heart had skipped a beat.

She kept looking at Natsuki, feeling the heat once again rush to her face. The raven-haired woman's expectant gaze made Mai feel something strange. Something she'd never felt before.

Coming back to reality, the redhead looked down to see that Natsuki had taken both her hands in her own. She looked back up, not even bothered by the color she felt in her face.

"…Mai?" Natsuki spoke softly, confused as she watched the redhead shoot up to look at her, as if she were snapped out of a trance.

She couldn't understand why, but she trusted the hands that were holding hers. "..O..okay."

At that, Natsuki's lips pulled a magnificent, toothy smile. And Mai couldn't help but smile back, feeling a wide grin that almost matched the singer's. As Natsuki took Mai's hand, the redhead laughed as she was pulled again, running through the hallway. Then she remembered something she recalled Natsuki telling her earlier that night.

_And if it weren't for that single encounter, we wouldn't be here right now._

Mai could be sure, that if she hadn't had her first kiss stolen, and slapped this girl in the face, she really wouldn't be here right now. And something that she felt inside told her that this is what she wanted. To be there, right now, with this strange girl, Natsuki Kuga.

So they ran into the night, and Mai really had no idea what she had waiting ahead of her.

_I trust her…I don't know why. But I do._

* * *

><p>The orange glow of the rising sun seeped into a quiet purple sky, and the trees rustled softly in the breeze that greeted the morning. Descending to the ground below, yards of houses lining the street were covered in people, face down in the grass, cups and beer cans and trash askew all over the place. On the hill at the end of the road, the sunshine peered into the cracked window blinds. Beams of sunlight reigned down warmly over the deadly quiet house. Well, save for the low humming of a stereo still playing music somewhere inside.<p>

A warm ray of light glared down on Mai's face, causing her expression to twist as she groaned, turning onto her side in order to avoid the sun. She nestled herself against the warm, thing, that she was nestled comfortably against. Whatever she was cuddling against smelled nice, which made her further nuzzle up against it and wrap her arms around it. Naturally she thought it was a long body pillow she managed to acquire last night. But once the sunlight managed to fall over her face again, she sighed and grunted again, her eyes blinking open with difficulty.

_Wow, my head hurts… _She complained inwardly as she realized the dull throbbing in her head. With another sigh, she groaned and began to slowly sit up. Her limbs felt like they each weighed a hundred pounds, and her vision was a little blurry as she tried to cover her face from the light and take in her surroundings.

When she was able to better make out her vision, she blinked. _Oh yeah. _As she remembered that she had spent the night at the after party. All over the place were people, still passed out or just waking up, and trash just about everywhere. She rubbed one of her temples with her fingers, when she realized that something felt funny. Taking her hand away to look at it, she blinked in shock as a crusty, blue color was now on her fingers.

"…Paint?" She questioned quietly to herself. Then her stomach suddenly sank.

She could not remember absolutely _anything _from last night.

"Dear god…" She let out a loud, drawn-out sigh, not even bothering to look at her phone to check the time. She was too busy being startled when there was sudden shifting and grumbling beside her. Looking down, Mai just froze completely, as the one grumbling slowly blinked their weary eyes open. Tired, hazy emerald met equally tired but surprised violet. Natsuki grinned sleepily up at the redhead.

"Mm..mornin'." Came out the hoarse greeting. That low, raspy tone Made Mai heat up quickly, for what reason she had no idea. Seeing the girl's reaction, Natsuki chuckled sluggishly, letting herself begin to sit up when she suddenly had to put a hand to her head with a groan, "Oi, there it is.." She managed to smile a little, pain still obvious in her expression. "Wasn't expecting anything less."

Watching Natsuki, Mai couldn't help but feel sympathetic as she saw the tiredness in her eyes. Though she supposed if she looked in a mirror she would probably look the same. Then when she suddenly heard stifled giggling, she looked up at Natsuki, furrowing her brow. "And what's so funny?" She demanded lowly.

"Y…your face." Natsuki chuckled a little more, smiling at Mai as she pointed to one of her cheeks. Eyes widening, the redhead suddenly began scanning all around her for a reflective surface. She saw someone's blush case had been thrown on the ground, and she quickly picked it up to open the mirror. After a moment of staring, her expression was one of terror.

All over her face were silly drawings, done in light blue, green and yellow paint. There was a heart, someone made an eyeball on her forehead, and then "Natsuki was here!" on the side of her cheek.

She instantly snapped the mirror shut and shot a death glare down at the bluenette, who at this point, was on her side laughing so much that she was running out of breath. She didn't even stop as she fended off Mai who had been beating her relentlessly.

"It's not funny!"

"N-no! Merciless war maiden! Have mercy!" She managed to breathe between laughter as she held up her hands, until Mai just huffed softly. But when Natsuki composed herself and looked up, she saw that the redhead was just looking down at her, a tired grin on her face. The raven-haired beauty couldn't help but smile back.

"Let's get cleaned up, huh?" Mai then sat up, slowly getting used to gravity. She had the feeling it wasn't going to be her best of friends today. She leaned forward a bit, holding her hand out.

Natsuki blinked softly, before she grinned wide, taking the offered hand, and lifting herself. She got to her feet, looking at Mai a moment, taking the opportunity to realize just how soft the redhead's hand felt against her own; It wasn't sweaty at all.

Mai looked into those sleepy green eyes, a little too long, and at realizing this she took her hand away, looking down and feeling her face warm up. She heard Natsuki laugh, which caused her to discretely smile. Mai looked down, and saw they had been sleeping on a bunch of couch cushions piled on the floor. But she noticed there were no pillows.

No body pillows.

In slow realization, her violet eyes dilated, once again feeling her face flush. _So, I was…_

"By the way, was I comfy?" When Mai's head shot up like a deer in headlights, Natsuki couldn't help but wink.

"…I…IDIOT!" A loud smack resonated in the room followed by Natsuki's yelp of pain as Mai stormed off toward the bathroom.

"Ggggooood, woman, I already have a throbbing hangover!" Natsuki groaned, rubbing the throbbing part of her skull. Though watching Mai stomp off from her, the singer smiled slowly.

_She's cute when she's flustered._

* * *

><p>"Mai!"<p>

Spinning her head around, she now faced Aoi who had yelled for her, leaning against the side of their car. Akane, Nao, and Kazuya, respectively, all looked just as spent as she had when she first woke up. Akane was leaning on a wary Kazuya, trying to stay awake, and Nao had her face in her arms over the side of the car. Aoi was leaning against the window, weakly smiling.

Smiling, Mai slowly walked over to the group, surprised at how she was beginning to feel better little by little. The cool morning air was probably a factor, since yesterday's rain took the heat with it. Other people, just as sluggish and zombie-like, were already pulling out and leaving the scene.

"Hey!" She walked up to her friends, taking in their sorry states, and couldn't help but smile wider. She looked back at Aoi. "So, did everyone have a good night?"

"Heeeell yeah!" Aoi raised her arm, immediately startled by the loud groan from behind her.

"For the love of christ stop yelling…I feel like I got run over by a bus filled with overweight diabetics." Nao grumbled as she turned her head to the side, a single eye lazily leering at the two girls.

Aoi laughed as quietly as possible and patted the girl lightly on the shoulder. "Now now…Nao." Mai giggled, Aoi smirked, and Nao intensified her single-eyed leering. "We'll take an easy trip home, stop for breakfast, get home and sleep the hangovers away, got it?"

"Yeah yeah…" The other redhead sighed as she dragged herself off of the car and pulled the door open, slumping inside the passenger seat. Aoi shook her head, before smiling back at Mai. "So, ready to go?"

Mai was just about to open her mouth, when she stopped suddenly. She then began to look around almost frantically, feeling a strange sense of anxiety when the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for someone?" Aoi quirked a brow. Then suddenly, she broke out into a cheeky grin. "Oh yeah, how was last night with _Kuuugaa-_ Ouch." She rubbed at the side of her head Mai had swiftly whacked. "Cmon, I already have a hangover, AND I have to drive."

The redhead did blush a bit, but was still determined in trying to spot a head of cobalt hair. Or even one of the other band members she recognized. But none of them were to be found. She wanted to turn around and give up, but something was planting her there, almost forcing her to keep looking, to keep waiting.

_Why isn't she here? Where did she go? …And why do I care? _She shook her head, turning around to face Aoi. _She just wanted a girl to flirt with for the night. I was that girl, no big deal. It's not like she'll care if she ever sees me again._

She made a vague nod to Aoi, motioning near the car as the brunette sauntered around toward the driver's side of the car. Mai turned her head slightly, looking back with a final, hopeful glance.

_Though…it would be nice to atleast say goodbye…_

"Mai!"

Mai's head shot up completely, jerking into the direction she heard her name. Violet locked onto emerald, as Natsuki came running over, panting as she leaned over, trying to catch her breath in front of the girl.

"Th-there you are…" She grinned and stood up, a little winded. "I couldn't find you after I helped Midori onto the tour bus."

Mai was still frozen there, looking at Natsuki with _such _a weird feeling in her stomach. After she noticed the bluenette's confused expression, she shook her head, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry…I was trying to find this bunch over here." She thumbed to the car, the occupants inside giving little waves.

Natsuki grinned at them softly, causing a series of swoons, to which Mai rolled her eyes at. The singer then looked up at Mai, a sudden seriousness in her face. The redhead noticed, suddenly feeling nervous.

"So…" Natsuki began, more quietly than usual, with a seemingly forced smile. "You're outta here, huh?"

The way Natsuki sounded, almost seemed…let down. And for some outrageous reason, Mai just wanted to blurt out 'no'. But she realized how ridiculous she was sounding. _I mean, she knew I had to leave at some point, right? It's not like we could be…friends or anything. She's a popular musician who travels all over the place, and has girls all over her, and I'm just …me._

"Well…yeah. We don't live around here. It's a two hour trip." Mai smiled sympathetically. She watched as Natsuki gazed at her a moment in uncertainty. Mai couldn't help but think of puppy being abandoned by their owner in the middle of a field. This weird stir of emotions she was feeling, almost feeling like Natsuki's sudden melancholy was…her fault.

She felt how sweaty her palms were, how nervous and angry she was. _What is going on with me…? I mean, I get this girl thinks I'm a good kisser and everything, but…_

"…I mean, I could subscribe to your band's website…and send you emails and stuff…" Mai began to speak, trying desperately to find some sort of medium in this confliction. She could practically feel how intently her friends were watching from inside the car. Aoi in particular with her face scrunched into the windshield.

_This is all so…surreal. Is she…really that torn about me leaving her?_

But when Natsuki suddenly lifted her head up, a smile drawn brilliantly on her face, no one could have been prepared for just what the singing beauty was about to propose. Hopeful emerald caught violet in such a vice that Mai had to stand in silence, just to take in the shine in those eyes.

"…Natsuki? What are y-"

"_Take me with you_."

* * *

><p><em>Hold on, I'll be here when it's all done you know.<em>

_Cause what's the point in chasing if I can't enjoy your face?_

_And we can't be wrong tonight. _

_Can we be wrong tonight?_


End file.
